NEWS

Art or Not? Summer is properly upon us: the art world populus has migrated from urban cultural epicentres to scattered exotic outposts—but this time, the art is following them. Hoping to posit itself as one of those is Marbella, freshly added to the fair circuit, with its inagural edition of Art Marbella. Will it change the attitudes of the cultural elite towards this coastal luxury hotspot, currently known as a magnet for Brits with bad taste? We've been on the prowl to see what's on off... [more]

Europe's refugee crisis has reached political and humanitarian extremes this year, with an unprecedented number of asylum seekers—many fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa—risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean. Across the continent a social and political atmosphere fueled by racism, xenophobia, fiscal conservatism and austerity has given rise to a radical disconnect between many Europeans and their southern neighbors. Horrifically, Greek Isle holidaymakers have been heard complaining about vacationi... [more]

Alejandro Zaia, the head of the critically-acclaimed Pinta London, is an unusual figure in the art world, coming to the world of the art fair through a love of contemporary Latin American art. Though a native of the PR and Advertising industries, he has now added a second fair to his collection, Art Marbella.
ArtSlant: Why Marbella?
Alejandro Zaia: Because Marbella and the whole Costa del Sol is the hottest spot in the European summer. It is a multicultural city — plenty of Germans, English,... [more]

They call it “Marbs.” Some of them do, anyway—not the real deal money; not 'Tony' and 'Mel' Banderas-Griffiths, whose beach-front palace’s lease, quite tragically, outlived their marriage—but the ones who are there for an earthier breed of bacchanal: the drunks, the San Tropez tanners, the motor-mouthed swimsuit babes, the rutting Croyden bucks—and so on, and so forth. Breasts as buoyant as puppies; pectorals as tight as spinster's mouths: the strip on Puerto... [more]

Brett Day Windham - Art Marbella
ArtSlant is pleased to present Brett Day Windham at Art Marbella, a new fair in the Costa del Sol of Southern Spain. We will be exhibiting the works she completed during her time at the Georgia Fee Artist | Writer Residency as well as a selection of her collage work. You can find us at booth A-03 at the Palacio de Congresos, Marbella, Spain. Art Marbella runs July 30th - August 3rd.
BRETT DAY WINDHAM | www.brettdaywindham.com
Bio:
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Art or Not? You thought you had the art world sussed, but every once in a while it chucks you a curve ball. In short, sometimes art can seem like a joke. What if we strip away the nonsense jargon—is the artwork still an artwork? What if we attribute those words to a different image—does that make it more legit? Every week, we ask our readers to play a game of guess who, and enjoy moment of irreverance in an oh-so-serious art world...
This week: which pile of goo was made by an art... [more]

Image: Round 4 Showcase Entry, Susanne Mitchell, Waiting, 2015.
Round 4 is accepting submissions until tonight, July 24th, at midnight PST!
Submit your work today to enter the ArtSlant Prize 2015 competition. Up for grabs are great exposure, exhibition and sales opportunities including inclusion in our brand new Amazon Art Sales Platform—not to mention cash prizes for selected ArtSlant Prize winners. See below for all the details.
Check out the latest submissions from the ArtSlant Commun... [more]

Celebrated artist and political activist Ai Weiwei has received his passport back from the Chinese government four years after it was confiscated. The silencing of Ai Weiwei at the hands of the Chinese government has been a continued occurrence, due to the artist’s open criticism of China’s communist government and the country’s controversial human rights standards.
In 2005, Ai Weiwei was invited to blog on China’s largest internet platform, Sina Weibo. He used the forum to di... [more]

Art or Not? "An intellect says a simple thing in a hard way, an artist says a hard thing in a simple way"—Bukowski once quipped. On our weekly meanderings through galleries and press releases, we seem to find that the art world is full of both. Each week, we select some of our findings and ask you to have some fun figuring out with us just what is art, what is artifice, and what is just bottles of cleaning product.
This week: One of the images described below is a genuine piece and text by... [more]

Within the first few minutes of David Cronenberg’s 1999 movie eXistenZ, video game designer Allegra Geller is referred to as both “goddess” and “demoness.” The polarizing reaction to Geller’s games sets the stakes for the ensuing narrative—one in which “realists” fight against gamers, who, according to the realists, “deform” reality. Indeed, in immersive games like eXistenZ, players are never sure if they are themselves or their c... [more]

Image: Round 4 Showcase , Zach Fitchner, Backflips, 2015
Round 4 is accepting submissions until July 24th!
Submit your work today to enter the ArtSlant Prize 2015 competition. Up for grabs are great exposure, exhibition and sales opportunities including inclusion in our brand new Amazon Art Sales Platform—not to mention cash prizes for selected ArtSlant Prize winners. See below for all the details.
Check out the latest submissions from the ArtSlant Community on our Art p... [more]

Image via Starbucks
Every artist worth their salt has their own distinctive aesthetic, and that proves especially important for graffiti and street art, where artists compete directly in the public space, not only to catch the eye of the passerby but to build an instantly recognizable identity within their community. Graffiti, after all, is all about whose tag is "up" the most in a territory.
Brooklyn-based Maya Hayuk works both in the streets and the studio and her aesthetic is ubiquitous. With its pop ne... [more]

Are You Living The Life You Always Wanted?
Do you fall asleep fulfilled with everything you've done?
Are you making meaningful friendships?
Spending time on your family?
Giving everyday your all?
If you are, good for you. Keep being you.
If you, like many Americans, are poor, bored and overworked, it's time you stop living like you're dying.
You may have thought of filing for bankruptcy, moving away, changing names, dealing drugs, cheating taxes...
You may have even fantasiz... [more]

How do you like your Eggs? Controversial. This may be the answer the Milwaukee Art Museum would give after its recent acquisition of Eggs Benedict by Nicki Johnson. Although, rather than a lush scooping of hollandaise drizzled over ham hock, this dish consists entirely of a portrait of Pope Benedict XVI made from 17,000 colored condoms.
Many Catholics, not being the biggest fans of responsible spunk containment, have thrown in that extra delicious garnish—controversy. Even possibly going for that ultima... [more]

Art or Not? When we're doing our weekly rounds of the world's galleries and musuems, we sometimes find ourselves baffled. The press release and the art work often don't seem to add up. And what about those fleeting encounters with the natural beauty that surrounds us, the perfect poetry of a passing moment?
Every week, we ask our readers to have some fun with us and tell us, what is art, and what is not? This week, it's a foggy question.
#1
A graduate of the Royal College of Art, London,... [more]